$35K Purchase Value Engineering Seeks Jerkens Repeat

Owner Michael Hui made a shrewd buy at the 2022 November Horses of Racing Age Sale at Keeneland when he purchased Value Engineering from the ELiTE consignment for $35,000.

Mere weeks later, Hui and co-owner Phil Forte collected a $59,520 payday when the Lemon Drop Kid  gelding won the $100,000 H. Allen Jerkens Handicap at Gulfstream Park. Five follow-up starts in 2023 would net another $163,885 in earnings, with most of that coming from a second in the William L. McKnight Stakes (G3T) and a win in the Mac Diarmida Stakes (G2T), both at Gulfstream.

Now comes another South Florida date in pursuit of a second consecutive victory in the Dec. 16 H. Allen Jerkens Handicap, one of the longest flat turf stakes in the country at two miles. Last year when he won the race, it came over Gulfstream's Tapeta course at 1 5/8 miles.

Value Engineering, @jose93_ortiz up, in front in the H. Allen Jerkens Handicap at #GulfstreamPark! pic.twitter.com/CiwEnR5YqC

— Gulfstream Park (@GulfstreamPark) December 17, 2022

Jose Ortiz, aboard for Value Engineering's top efforts last winter, returns in the irons for trainer Mike Maker. The 7-year-old gelding has finished in the rear half of the pack in a trio of races since the Mac Diarmida, the last of which was a comeback race in a Nov. 30 allowance optional claimer at Turfway Park.

Others in the lineup

• Maker also runs Michael Dubb's Catch That Party  and Lawrence and Jennifer Goichman's Shawdyshawdyshawdy .
• F Five , trained by Brian Lynch, and McLovin , trained by Arnaud Delacour, head the remainder of the 10-horse field.